There is one internet platform that people use more often, spend more time on, and devote more attention to than all the others. More people use it and more people care about it than any other internet communication platform to date. Believe it or not, this isn’t social media—it’s “old fashioned” e-mail. That’s why e-mail marketing should be a crucial part of any growing podiatry practice’s internal or database marketing plan.

E-mail Isn’t Dead

Contrary to what you might hear, e-mail isn’t “dead,” so neither is e-mail marketing. It’s a useful tool that’s an integral part of your overall database marketing strategy. Literally billions of people use e-mail every single day. It’s a highly personal medium that is widely considered the most professional, “serious” communication method. It also allows you to capture more of your patients’ time and attention than other avenues, including social media. That’s because you can make repeated, personalized contact to the individuals on your database list, instead of just tossing a post or a tweet into the storm of everyone else’s social media noise and hoping it gets found.

So How Do You Use E-mail Marketing?

First, a quick definition: e-mail marketing is a method of sending direct messages to current or potential clients using electronic mail. This can include anything that helps build client loyalty, trust, or brand recognition, from ads and promotions to simple updates or information. It helps you stay connected with people who would otherwise forget about you in the busyness of daily life. These messages are highly targeted to reach the people who are interested in hearing from you.

As a doctor, you can use this many different ways. You can send out e-mail blasts to all of your patients letting them know you’re doing a local health fair event, or have a new product in your office. You can thank specific groups for attending an event or requesting a book or newsletter. You can send out information to a targeted list, like athletes, with information that specifically interests them. The possibilities are almost endless.

How Do You Make It Effective?

In order for this kind of internal marketing to work, however, your e-mails can’t be spam. You know and dread the stuff. These are useless, annoying, un-targeted message blasts that clutter up people’s inboxes and get deleted immediately. Instead, you need high-quality messages that people will actually read and enjoy.

Successful e-mail marketing has a few key features:

A clean, branded, professional look – Your messages should be immediately recognizable when people open them. They need to be clean and branded for your practice, so they don’t look like junk mail or confuse your patients.

Subject lines that get people to click – People want to know why you’re contacting them and whether what you have to say is even worth reading. Your subject lines should be catchy and interesting, so people open your e-mails.

Great content that people enjoy reading – The actual message itself is important, too. You can’t send boring e-mails, or messages full of errors, and expect people to read them through carefully. It must be interesting, clear, and relevant to the reader.

A call-to-action that spurs people to do something – The end of your e-mail should call your patients to do something: call your office, make an appointment, sign up for something, attend an event, etc. This converts leads into patients.

Master E-Mail Marketing with Our Database Marketing Team

At Top Practices, we understand that e-mail marketing can seem pretty overwhelming. You have to find a program that works, then configure everything to fit your unique practice. That’s why we’ve established a program that does all the heavy lifting for you. The Top Practices Virtual Marketing Directors help you set up, manage, and effectively use a database for e-mail marketing. You don’t have to figure out this aspect of your internal marketing all by yourself.

This is a Mastermind members-exclusive program that’s already seeing success. If you’d like to know more, you can e-mail us at [email protected] or call us at (717) 725-2679.